{"id":333928,"date":"2026-08-31T16:24:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T16:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/333928\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T16:24:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T16:24:14","slug":"newark-airport-has-2-7b-in-sizzle-but-wheres-the-steak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/333928\/","title":{"rendered":"Newark Airport has $2.7B in sizzle \u2014 but where’s the steak?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Newark Liberty International Airport\u2019s Terminal A<\/a> is undeniably impressive.<\/p>\n

It is bright, modern and filled with upscale restaurants and public art, but it also cost an astonishing $2.7 billion, the largest single investment the Port Authority<\/a> has ever made in New Jersey.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the problem: What good is a world-class terminal if travelers are trapped in traffic trying to reach it?<\/p>\n

\"undefinedundefined undefinedundefined undefinedNewark Airport’s roads are still a mess<\/p>\n

The roads leading into and around Newark Airport remain a confusing, congested maze.<\/p>\n

Drivers arriving from Route 1 and 9, Interstate 78 and the New Jersey Turnpike routinely face bottlenecks, poor pavement, abrupt merges and inadequate pickup areas.<\/p>\n

One accident, construction project or rush-hour backup can turn a trip to the airport into a nightmare.<\/p>\n

Yes, the Terminal A project included new internal frontage roads and bridges, but the larger transportation network feeding the airport remains badly outdated.<\/p>\n

The Port Authority itself now acknowledges that Newark needs a streamlined roadway system as part of its long-term redevelopment plan.<\/p>\n

That should have been the priority from the beginning.<\/p>\n

\"PhotoPhoto via CanvaPhoto via Canva$2.7 billion should buy more than a beautiful terminal<\/p>\n

Instead of spending billions creating a gleaming terminal filled with cosmetic luxuries, the Port Authority should have concentrated first on the basic infrastructure people actually depend upon: safer entrance ramps, additional lanes, better traffic flow, clearly marked exits, improved pickup areas and reliable public-transit connections.<\/p>\n

Even some of the terminal\u2019s highly touted \u201clittle touches,” many of which were publicly credited to then-First Lady Tammy Murphy, seem to value appearance over basic function.<\/p>\n

The terminal\u2019s modern chairs are low, awkward and surprisingly difficult to get out of, particularly for older travelers or anyone with limited mobility.<\/p>\n

Many also lack a convenient table or holder for a drink.<\/p>\n

At a $2.7 billion airport terminal, passengers shouldn\u2019t have to balance a cup on their lap while struggling to climb out of a designer chair.<\/p>\n

It is a perfect metaphor for the entire project: expensive, attractive and disconnected from how ordinary people actually use an airport.<\/p>\n

\"PhotoPhoto by Andres Kudacki\/Getty ImagesPhoto by Andres Kudacki\/Getty ImagesFix the roads before building another billion-dollar terminal<\/p>\n

This is the recurring failure of government infrastructure spending.<\/p>\n

Officials love expensive projects that give them the photo-op ribbon-cutting ceremony, but how is it helping the people footing the bill?<\/p>\n

Maintaining and improving roads isn\u2019t glamorous, but it is one of the critical jobs we hire politicians to perform.<\/p>\n

Terminal A may look beautiful once you get inside, but New Jersey travelers need an airport they can reach without fighting their way through crumbling roads and gridlocked traffic.<\/p>\n

Before the Port Authority builds another billion-dollar terminal, it should fix the roads that lead to the airport.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0world-class airport begins at the entrance, not at the gate.<\/p>\n

So for now, we are looking at Philly as a better alternative.<\/p>\n

LOOK: Which movies were filmed in New Jersey?Stacker<\/a> compiled a list of movies filmed in New Jersey using data from\u00a0Movie Locations<\/a>, with additional information about each film collected from\u00a0IMDb<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Stacker<\/p>\n

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill’s own.<\/p>\n

Report a correction<\/a> \ud83d\udc48<\/p>\n

FOLLOW BILL: Join the Bill Spadea’s New Jersey channel on our Facebook page.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Newark Liberty International Airport\u2019s Terminal A is undeniably impressive. It is bright, modern and filled with upscale restaurants…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333929,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[86454,9,24,63,134,136,135,17804,17805],"class_list":["post-333928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-bill-spadea","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news","tag-talking-about","tag-ultimate-new-jersey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333928"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333928\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}